The Steep Price of Power
by littleaprilroses
Summary: Deeply angered by Rumplestiltskin's attempt to kill Emma and steal her magic, Ingrid managed to escape her trap and sets her eyes revenge. Or in other words, a greedy imp must pay the price for his selfish actions and it's far worse than he could've possibly imagined. Can the Dark One fix atone for his crimes in time, or will allow history be allowed to repeat itself?


Belle rushed around the pawn shop yanking small vials of different ingredients they might need to get them through the upcoming night. She hoped the spell Mother Superior was planning would be enough to stop the Ice Queen's curse. Just to be safe though, before heading to Granny's she wanted to be prepared with extra ingredients just in case things get tricky.

She was struggling for a vial on the top shelf of a cabinet when the sound of jingling of doorbells followed an icy breeze washed over her back. Belle spun around to face the source and gasped fearfully when the Ice Queen herself waved with a slight smile from the entrance.

Belle dropped the vials she'd been holding and began to look desperately for any weapons nearby that could hold her off until Rumple arrived. They shattered on the ground around her and as she backed away from the

"What are you doing here?" Belle demanded, trying to sound more confident than she was.

Ingrid slowly made her way towards the smaller woman, the train of her dress dragging icy patterns elegantly behind her. She looked around the cluttered shop idly before her eyes settled on the tense young woman in an icy glare.

"All I've ever wanted was a family that understood despite the way I was born." Ingrid said quietly. "Emma and Elsa were my best chance at that, and now, because of _him,_ I've lost one." Grief and rage colored her normally emotionless voice.

Belle's mouth fell open in shock at that. "W-Wait, what are you talking about? Rumple's a good man now and would never hurt Emma or Elsa!" She protested, praying that the woman wouldn't notice as she inched towards her purse on the front counter. Ever since the Ice Queen had set her sights on Storybrooke Belle had begun carrying the dagger on hand just in case.

It terrified her to have that kind of power on hand, but the thought of being without it and having someone control Rumple again terrified her even more. Plus, another benefit of being the master for the Dark One is that she could use the dagger to summon him for help at any time. So long as she could get her hands on it before the Ice Queen noticed, Belle should be able to get him here in time to chase the witch off.

Ingrid scoffed scornfully at that, shaking her head. "You foolish girl. Still playing dumb to the truth I see. You truly have no idea just how much of a beast you've climbed in bed with, do you?"

Belle grit her teeth and glared defiantly. "You're wrong! He's _not_ a beast, he's the man I love and he's changed!"

The Ice Queen tilted her head thoughtfully at that before slowly glancing in the direction of her purse. Belle's stomach clenched in fear that her actions had been discovered, but the Ice Queen made no move to stop her. "Are you certain of that?" She asked finally, eyes refocusing on the other woman. At Belle's stubborn nod, she motioned kindly towards the bag.

"Then feel free to prove me otherwise." Not needing to be told twice, Belle lunged for her bag and yanked out the wavy knife hidden inside. Ingrid's expression never changed and she made no moves to stop Belle as she pointed the knife threateningly at the witch.

"Stand back! Either you leave _right now_ or I use the dagger to call Rumple here himself to _make_ you leave!" Belle shouted, clutching the hilt with both hands shakily. The Ice Queen made no movements to leave though, continued to stare at the librarian with the same pitying eyes as before.

"I'm not going anywhere, Belle." She answered evenly as she began to advance on the terrified woman. Belle's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly yanked the knife defensively.

"I said stop! I'm not kidding, I _will_ summon him here and we both know you can't overpower him!" Belle shouted shakily, confidence dropping at every defiant step the Ice Queen took towards her.

"Hmmm… You're right, I can't. At least not for now, unless Emma manages to escape with her powers intact." She took one step closer and froze Belle's feet to the floor when she attempted to move away. "Either way, you're going to ensure that I get my way no matter what happens."

Ice began to spread across the floor and walls behind her, splintering and cracking as she took another step forward. "If that cowardly bastard thinks he can steal away _my_ happy ending, then I'll just have to return the favor, won't I?" She purred, now only feet away from her terrified prey.

Unable to listen to the other woman's cruel words any longer, Belle took a ragged breath and prayed with all of her heart that the Ice Queen and her evil mirror was wrong.

"I summon you, Dark One!" She ordered, eyes searching the room frantically for where her husband would appear. The sound of silence around her was deafening, and after a few more moments she flinched when only the queen's gaze greeted her.

"No… _No_ it can't be." She whispered hoarsely, tears swarming her vision at the empty room. "Rumple _please_..." Belle sobbed, arms sagging at her sides numbly as the fake dagger clattering to the ground. Her mind didn't want to accept the truth, but reality wasn't giving her that option anymore.

Rumple was out doing God knows what with free reign of his dagger and he'd _lied_ to her to keep in a secret. Belle's vision was blurred with hot tears, and through them, she could see that the queen's expression was now almost pitying.

"Do you understand now? He's chosen power over you _again_." Belle could only watch in muted horror as the Ice Queen took her final step forward and closed the gap between them

"Your unwavering faith in that monster is admirable, but sadly sometimes even love isn't enough to hold back the darkness." Ingrid looked down at her hands sadly, momentarily lost in her dark memories. "Greed, fear, anger, desperation… all of these emotions can overtake even the purest of hearts."

She looked back up, eyes cold and determined again. "Unfortunately, like mine, his heart is _far_ from pure. It only makes sense that he'd lie to you when given the opportunity to grow stronger."

"Y-You're wrong! Rumple loves me more than anything." Belle flinched at the hollowness of her own words. Clearly that wasn't true or she'd be far away from this shop by now.

The Ice Queen scoffed and reached to snag Belle's chin painfully so that she couldn't look away. "Of course. I'm sure he'll be here any second to rescue his _one true love._ " She sneered. Belle struggled desperately to pull away, but she stood no chance of overpowering the queen. As each agonizing moments passed she could feel the ice spreading slowly across her skin and down her throat.

"Please… you have to d-" Belle protested weakly, unable to stop the tears that had begun leaking and immediately freezing in streaks down frozen cheeks.

"I know I don't, dear. I _want to._ Oh, and don't worry. I'm not going to kill you quite yet. What fun would that be?" A soft chuckle echoed throughout the room as the ice engulfed and immortalized Belle's final heartbroken expression.

 _ **To be Continued...**_

 **Authors Note:**

This idea has been bothering me for a while now. I've been pissed off basically ever since Rumple first gave Belle that fake dagger. Not just because he was being incredibly deceitful (which was the obvious issue) but also because doing that made Belle a massive walking target for Ingrid or anyone else with a vendetta. I mean, he was going out of his way to piss people off and wreak havoc, but he still just left her alone half the time with a fake dagger and lots of enemies out to hurt him (and her) in the process.


End file.
